Machine gun



p 1, 1931- I K. DANTHINE 3 MACHINE GUN Filed Jan. 3, 1930 Kar/fianfil/HE INVENTOR BY L ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1931 ear KARL DAN'II-IINE, 013 BEER, SWZTZERLAND, ASSIG-NOR TO HEINRICH SUB-BER, OF

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND MACHINE GUN Application filed January 3, 1930, Serial No.

This invention relates to an improvement in reciprocating barrels of machine guns, for instance Maxim machine guns. .Vith machine guns of this class or type as hither- ?5 to in use the barrel consists of but one part having at its rear end a complicated portion forming a guide. By this back portion or guide the barrel is interchangeably connected to the breech blocx. lVhen the barrel is '1?) worn out by shooting it must therefore be replaced together with the back portion or guide, even if the latter should still be fit for use. The manufacture of the back por tion or guide is diflicult and requires much time so that the manufacture of the barrel is expensive, and in consequence of the necessary frequent exchange of the barrel the shooting with such machine guns causes heavy expenses. It has been proposed to F5? reduce these expenses by tapping and filling out the barrels worn out by shooting. This procedure however has not been successful, as it was too expensive and swellings of the barrel were caused by which the precision 5 of shooting has considerably been reduced.

The methods used for replacing the barrels of otherwise constructed fire-arms cannot be applied with machine guns having reciprocating barrels. With guns or cannons for instance barrels are used having the inside portion of the barrel screwed into the bottom pics 1. in this construction the cartridge chamber is wholly or partly located in the bottom piece not designed to be exchanged. This construction is not fit to be used i ith machine guns having a reciprocating barrel, as for example Maxim machine guns, as with such machine guns in consequence of the fast exchange of cartridges the cartridge chamber is exposed to be quickly worn out.

The present invention has for its object an improved reciprocating barrel of machine'guns by which the expenses of shooting are reduced in a simple manner. In

418,185, and in Germany January 11, 1929.

opposition to the usual manufacture the barrel of the invention is not made in one piece, but in two pieces in such manner that the actual barrel with the cartridge chamber consists of one part, this part being in sorted into the back portion or guide and interchangeably connected thereto. When a barrel worn out by shooting shall be exchanged the expensive back portion or guide needing considerable milling work must not be replaced, but only the part comprising the actual barrel and the cartridge chamber,

the costs of this part adapted to be manu factured wholly by turning work being comparatively small.

In the accompanying drawings is illustrated an example of construction of the invention.

Fig. 1 shows an elevation partly in section of a portion of a Maxim machine gun provided with a barrel embodying the in vent-ion.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, parts being shown in section.

In opposition to the usual construction of the barrels of Maxim machine gunsin which the barrel is made in one piece with the back portion or guide, in the new construction the barrel consists of two separate parts. The actual barrel 1 with the cartridge chamber 5, 6 made in one part is inserted into a corresponding bore 3 of the back portion or guide 2 and connected to it by means of a thread 4 providednea-r the front end of the cartridge chamber. In opposition to the actual barrel 1 which as usually is of circular cross section the back portion or guide 2 has a rear part of essentially rectangular cross section. 22 designates the usual ring screwed on a threaded portion of the guide 2. The barrel 1 is secured against turning in the thread. 4 by means of a pin 7 The back portion or guide 2 is provided in the usual manner with two lateral projecting cylindrical pins 8. These pins made 1n one piece with'the portion 2 are mounted in on the slide 12 serves for seizing a cartridge 17 held as usually in a strip. The sl de 12 is provided on its front with two lateral claws 15, 16 serving to guide the cartridge on the slide. '18 designates the striker pin which in the position of the ignition shown in Fig. 1 projects through a corresponding opening of the slide 12. Near its lower end of the slide 12 is provided with av lower spring pressed pawl 19 serving to discharge the cartridge case through tee channel 20. The back portion or guide 2 is provided with two vertical recesses or grooves 21 into which the claws 15, 16 of the slide 12 project when the latter is moved in the position shown in the drawings. The construction and operation of all these parts being known they are not described in a detailed manner.

hen the barrel 1 is worn out by shooting and the cartridge chamber 5, 6 is worn out by loading the barrel 1 with the back portion or guide 2 can be detached from the rails 9. 10 in the usual manner. After removing the pin 7 the barrel 1 with the cartridge charm her 5, 6 can be unscrewed from the back portion 2, and a new barrel with cartridge chamber can be screwed into the back portion 2. The back portion or guide 2 can be used for an almost unlimited number of spare barrels.

When barrels of the invention are used with the same expenditure much more barrels can be kept in reserve-as with the usual construction of the barrels having the actual barrel and the back portion made in one piece. 7

Instead of being connected by means of a thread the actual barrel 1 and the back portion 2 could also be connected to anotherby any other suitable means.

Instead of being formed cylindrically the bore 3 of the back portion 2 and the corresponding rear portion of the barrel 1 surrounding the part 6 of the cartridge chamber could also be formed conically.

I claim: 7

l. A machine gun, comprising a barrel, a carrier for said barrel, and a barrel head securing the barrel to said carrier, said barrelcomprising a barrel tube and cartridge chamber detachably secured to said barrel head, the latter being exchangeably attached to said carrier and allowing either removal of the barrel and the head, or the barrel alone.

2. A machine gun comprising a barrel, a carrier for said barrel, a barrel head to support the barrel, and a pin to secure said head to the carrier, said barrel comprising a barrel tube and cartridge chamber screwed in said barrel head, the latter being removably attached to said carrier by means of said pin to either detach the barrel and the head by removing said pin, or the barrel alone by unscrewing the chamber.

3. A machine gun as claimed in claim 2, including means to secure the barrel against rotation in said barrel head.

4:. In a machine gun of the class described, the combination of a reciprocating mechanism, a barrel made in two pieces, the one of said pieces comprising the actual barrel and the cartridge chamber, the other one of said pieces comprising the back portion of the barrel, the rear end of the first piece being inserted into said second piece and er zchangeably fastened thereto, and means being made in one piece with said back portion for interchangeably connecting it to the reciprocating mechanism.

5. In a machine gun of the class described, the combination of a reciprocating mechanism comprising two rails, a barrel made in two pieces, the one of said pieces comprising the actual barrel and the cartridge chamber, the other one of said pieces comprising the back portion of the barrel, the rear end of said first piece being inserted into said second piece and exchan eably fastened thereto, and means being made in one piece with said back portion for interchangeably connecting it to said rails.

6. Ina machine gun of the class described,

he combination of a reciprocating mechanism comprising two rails, a hole provided in each rail, a barrel made in two pieces, the one of said pieces comprising the actual barrel and the cartridge chamber, the other one of said pieces comprising the back portion of the barrel, the rear end of said first piece being inserted into said second piece and exchangeably fastened thereto, and two pins made in one piece with the back portion and inserted in said holes of the rails.

7. In a machine gun of the class described, the combination of a reciprocating mechanism, a barrel made in two pieces, the one of said pieces comprising the actual barrel and the cartridge chamber, the other one of said pieces comprising the back portion of the barrel and being formed with a bore, the rear end of said first piece being inserted into the bore of said second piece and screwed therein, and means being made in one piece .with said back portion for interchangeably connecting it to the reciprocating mechanism.

8; In a machine gun of the class described, the combination of a reciprocating mechanism, a barrel made in two pieces, the one of said pieces being of circular cross section and comprising the actual barrel and the cartridge chamber, the other one of said pieces comprising the back portion of the barrel, said back portion of the barrel being formed with a bore and having a part of rectangular cross section, the rear end of said first piece being inserted into the bore of said second piece and screwed therein, and means being made in one piece with said back portion for interchangeably connecting it to the reciprocating mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

15 KARL DANTHINE. 

